The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre
Peter Lorre: The Man, The Actor
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The Lorre family very generously opened their
photo album to me. Some pictures were graciously given, others I copied and
returned. On one of my many visits to California, Cathy pulled a box from a
closet. I was dismayed to see that the bottom half of what appeared to be a greasy
tool chest contained a stack of her father?s photos. Many were movie stills and
publicity photos.
However, there were also multiple copies of a series of formal studio sittings
taken by a Fox photographer in 1936-37. The fact that they survived his many
moves over a period of nearly thirty years told me they held a special interest
for him.
Except where noted, all photos are from the collection of
Stephen Youngkin. For a larger image, click on the thumbnail. A new
window will open.
Peter Lorre calling home? Deciding where to live in Los
Angeles generated friction between Peter and Celia. Always protective of
his privacy, he preferred to live as far as possible from the Hollywood
studios. She, on the other hand, knowing that her husband was not a good
driver, wanted to live close to his work. On the set of Mad Love
(MGM, 1935).
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During filming of Mad Love (1935), Peter chats
with MGM contract player Maureen O?Sullivan, best remembered for her
role as "Jane" opposite Johnny Weissmuller?s "Tarzan".
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A series of photos depicting Peter Lorre having a bust
of himself made during the filming of Mad Love for MGM in the
summer of 1935.
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The completed bust of Peter Lorre, 1935.
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Dan "Danno" O'Mahoney, heavyweight wrestling champion
of the world (1935-1936), gives Peter Lorre a hard time during a visit
to Columbia Studios, 1935. The Irish wrestler was on a tour of the West
Coast that summer. Peter was a huge fan of professional wrestling and
frequently attended matches. A "thank you" goes to Janet Fuentes for
identifying "Danno" for us.
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Out with Italian actress Elissa Landi, an unidentified
woman, and Alan Mowbray. An English character actor of the "stiff upper
lip school" of British acting, Mowbray was also a founding member of the
Screen Actors Guild and sat on its Board of Directors. It appears that
Lorre's hair is growing out after filming Mad Love. June, 1935.
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Peter Lorre getting a shave during filming of Crime
and Punishment (1935). Tonsorial treatments notwithstanding, Lorre
felt he was no match for the "extraordinarily handsome" Raskolnikov.
"If only I looked like Joseph Schildkraut," he confided to co-star Marion
Marsh. "He was a very, very handsome fellow. This is how someone should
look."
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Peter Lorre makes time to study the script of Crime
and Punishment while readying for the day?s shoot. Co-workers
reported that the actor kept very much to himself during filming. Said
Marion Marsh: "He hardly spoke to anyone and I really thought it was
because of his English. It wasn?t very good. It was proper when he did
speak, but I think he was a little bit timid about it."
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Peter Lorre clowns around on the set of "Raskolnikov's
apartment" between shots on Crime and Punishment (Columbia, 1935).
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Josef von Sternberg directs Peter Lorre and Edward Arnold
on the "Inspector Porfiry's office" set for Columbia's Crime and
Punishment (1935).
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To announce Peter Lorre's upcoming role in Secret
Agent (1936), the American magazine Vanity Fair made use of
his distinctive appearance for the caricature (drawn by Italian artist
Paolo Garretto) and his screen image for the caption: "That bland smile of
his is ten times as nasty as the frowns from lesser villains . . ."
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Peter Lorre in make-up as "The General" for Hitchcock's
Secret Agent (1936). Lorre seemed to be fascinated with the owl.
In the endpaper of Celia Lovsky's diary, he wrote, "Dear Untier, for 1936,
the memorable year in which the fairylike rise of the owl begins" and
signed it with a sketch of an owl. Peter also loved to amuse Celia with
his owl faces. In fact, the most prominently displayed photo of him in her
apartment pictured – in several images, side by side – making
his famous day and night owl faces. In Crack-Up (1936), he even
worked the "faces" into his portrayal of "Colonel Gimpy".
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Lorre and Sir John Gielgud perch on trunks behind the
scenes on Secret Agent (1936). Gielgud reported that Lorre was
nice to him in rehearsals, but in takes, expertly positioned himself in
ways that earned him a reputation as a scene stealer.
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Alfred Hitchcock (center) directs Peter Lorre, John
Gielgud, and an unbilled actor on the set of Secret Agent
(Gaumont-British, 1936), as Lorre and Gielgud take a tour of a chocolate
factory acting as a front for espionage activities.
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The wrap party on Secret Agent (Gaumont-British,
1936) was held in December, 1936, with a Christmas theme, complete with
"Father Christmas" (center). Director Alfred Hitchcock (far right), John
Gielgud (behind Hitchcock), Peter Lorre (in costume as "The General" and
standing behind the flag, "The Poocha Cake"), and Madeleine Carroll are
among the celebrants.
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As Peter Lorre's voice lent itself to comic imitation, so his unique
features – especially his eyes, which he described as "soft-boiled
eggs" – inspired caricature. Lorre was gratified by impersonations,
whether vocal or artistic. While Secret Agent (1936) was in release
in London, the artist Gitano created a portrait of Lorre's character "The
General" for the British publication The Bystander, a tabloid
published weekly by the Illustrated London News – using skeins
of black silk, a scarf, a gold earring, a boutonniere, and a tie-pin, in
addition to paint.
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The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre (2005)
by Stephen Youngkin – now in its third printing and winner of the
Rondo Award for "Best Book of 2005" – is available in bookstores
everywhere, as well as these on-line merchants.
The Films of Peter Lorre (1982), also by
Youngkin, is out of print, but copies may be purchased through Amazon
and Barnes & Noble below. Interested in Lorre's radio and television
performances? Check out Radio Showcase and Movies Unlimited. Netflix has
Lorre movies for rent.
University Press of Kentucky
Powell's Books
Overstock.com
Barnes & Noble Booksellers
US fans: Amazon.com
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Canadian fans: Amazon.ca
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UK fans: Amazon.uk
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US fans: Amazon.com
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The Films of Peter Lorre
Barnes & Noble Bookstores
Radio Showcase
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US fans: Amazon Gift Certificate
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Canadian fans: Amazon Gift Certificate
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Movies Unlimited
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